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The Essential Naval History Film Library

A book-author-turned-incisive-movie-reviewer runs down the nine digital video disc "must-haves" for any naval history enthusiast looking to build a cinema library.

Through the years, a filmography has accumulated that, for the naval history aficionado, is worth cherishing and revisiting. Now, it's possible to create your own DVD library of naval movie classics that have been restored and that, if you grew up watching them on television, can be a visual revelation in the digital format. No more grainy, chopped-up, commercial-crammed late-show broadcasts, thank you very much. These films are finally getting the respect they deserve.

Here, for the collector and movie fan who also happens to be a naval-history buff, is our list of library essentials. Of course, many more naval-related movies are out there, and more of them are becoming available on DVD all the time. What follows is not intended to shortchange any of them; this list of core titles can be the foundation for a collection that's easily expanded. So, without further ado, anchors aweigh!

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